19 posts from September 2013

The Phillies have opted not to renew the contract of pitching coach Rich Dubee.

“Rich was a big part of a wonderful era here and in his nine years he served our organization very well,” team GM Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “We believe it is time for change as we move forward. We thank Rich for his professionalism and contribution to the Phillies.”

The Phillies finished this season at 73-89, in fourth place in the National League, 23 games behind first-place Atlanta.

The Phils had the worst run-differential in the National League and their starting pitchers had the second-highest ERA (4.41) in the league.

Dubee spent the last nine years as pitching coach. It was the longest service time at that position for the Phillies in the last 35 years and tied for the most in club history with Cy Perkins (1946-54) and Ray Rippelmeyer (1970-78).

The Phillies, who missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, will have announcements regarding the remainder of the coaching staff at a later date.

Earlier this month during the final homestand of the season, the Phillies signed manager Ryne Sandberg to a three-year contract.

In so many ways it seems like we were just talking about the four aces.

Weren't we just watching a healthy Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton gather together at Bright House Field in Clearwater where they posed for a picture?

Phillies starting pitchers that year --- in 2011 --- had the lowest ERA (2.86) in baseball.

During these final days of the season, the Phillies rotation looks nothing like that group that posed for countless photographers just two and a half years ago.

Halladay had to be shut down. That was definitely for the best. While I applaud how hard he worked to return from his shoulder surgery, maybe it just wasn't the right decision. The last couple home starts he made he just didn't look like himself on the mound or when he addressed the media afterward. He looked absolutely exhausted, and the weight he had lost was so obvious. Surely that contributed to the fatigue he was displaying.

The shutdown means the Phillies don't know who will start on Saturday. I think it's safe to say it's another bullpen night. That's something they've already had to do twice in place of the injured Kyle Kendrick.

In Tyler Cloyd's last outing, he couldn't even record an out in the second inning. Including the seven runs he allowed in one-plus inning on Thursday against the Braves, Cloyd owns a 15.43 ERA in his last four starts.

The rotation, which I will address in a season-ending story in a few days, needs some serious work.

Ruben Amaro Jr. didn’t need to wait until the end of the
season as many expected.

The Phillies general manager had the man for the job right
in front of him.

Amaro announced before that the organization was lifting the
interim tag from Sandberg’s title and officially naming him the manager before
today’s game against the New York Mets, the final home game of the regular
season.

"I just sat down a couple minutes ago to let the players know and the
energy in the room was extraordinary," Amaro said. "I’m kind of excited about it frankly.
This is a man who has worked his way through the minor leagues and he has
unbelievable Hall of Fame credentials, but I think more importantly than that,
he’s a very, very good baseball man."

Sandberg signed a three-year deal
taking him through th e 2016 season with a club option for 2017.

The 54-year-old was drafted by the
Phillies in the 20th round in 1978 and made his major league debut
with the club on Sept. 2, 1981. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career with
the Chicago Cubs as a second baseman before retiring and rejoining the baseball
ranks on the coaching side.

“In a lot of ways, it’s a dream
job and it’s a dream come true and it’s a very exciting day for me,” Sandberg
said. “I’m ecstatic to say the least. I’ve worn a Phillies uniform before and
in some ways it’s full circle for me.”

Sandberg spent six years managing in the minor leagues, including
the 2011-12 seasons with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He guided them to
a 155-132 record and led the team to its first-ever playoff appearance.

That means that the Hall of Famer
spent more than a half a decade riding buses and staying in less-than-fancy
hotels.

“I
think there were very good lessons,” Sandberg said of managing in the minor
leagues. “I learned a lot, not only about myself and whether I was good at it
or liked it, but also to see how it really works from the bottom up. I
experienced that and I think that will go a long way in understanding how the
minor leagues work, how player-development works, projecting a player. … That's
gone a long way, and it really kicked in this year with the position I took
when it happened. I was able to do things my way, put things in place and get
that started. So that all felt good. And those years of going to the minor
leagues? Totally worthwhile.”

Sandberg
pointed to a mix of veterans such as Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard,
Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee, with young players such as Cody Asche, Cesar
Hernandez, Freddy Galvis as Darin Ruf, as a solid place to start for 2014.

“That’s
good young energy that you filter in and
have them compete for jobs for next year and compete with veteran
players ,” Sandberg said. “I think that’s something that was needed here --- a
little young, energy in there, athleticism. We’ve seen some of these guys bring
that.”

Since taking over in Philadelphia after Charlie Manuel was
fired on Aug. 16, Sandberg and the Phillies have gone 18-16. He began the 2013
season as the club’s third-base coach.

Sandberg also thanked his wife, Margaret, saying the two were a team off the field and called her "the biggest Phillies fan around."

Kyle Kendrick, who saw another doctor about the tendinitis
in his rotator cuff, was advised that
instead of making his last two starts of
the season, it would be best to be shut down. Zach Miner will take his spot in
the rotation.

Although interim manager Ryne Sandberg said he didn’t see a
drop in Kendrick’s velocity, he did notice a change elsewhere.

“As far as movement on the sinker,
I thought that was a little less the second part of the season,” Sandberg said.
“But other than that, he was healthy enough to pitch and it was a normal
sensation that he was feeling.”

When we talked to Kendrick on Wednesday, he was hopeful he'd be back to finish the season, something I'm sure he wanted to do in the hopes of having two solid starts to end the year after he had some questionable second-half starts.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, BUT HE'S BACK

A tidbit of news that Sandberg
announced in the dugout before the game was that reliever Mike Stutes has
returned to the team. Stutes, who had been treated for biceps tendinitis since June
23, is available to pitch tonight.

I honestly thought he was done for the season.

“I think [his chance] to
show that he’s healthy,” Sandberg said. “He is healthy and for him to end the
season on that note, I think it adds some depth into the decisions to be made.
I think that’s what those show, being active and pitching down the stretch this
year and then going into the offseason, allowing him to go about his business
knowing that he’s done that. He’s ready to do that. So it’ll add some depth
going into spring training once decisions are made.”

Summing up 18 years as a sports writer in the newspaper
business is something I wish I could do.

My passion for the business, my love of sports and the
wonderful people who have surrounded me are making that impossible.

On Sunday, almost two decades after writing my first story
for The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre when I was barely 16 years old, I’ll cover
my last sporting event for The Morning Call, the place I called home for almost
10 years.

Tracking down sources, standing in the cold, the rain and
the blistering heat, the rush of filing a story --- time and time again
--- on a ridiculously tight deadline and being the owner of sleep habits that
would make many people cringe, have defined me.

Although those things won’t be part of my life much longer,
they will forever help tell the story of who I am because being a sports writer
will always be part of my identity. It’s in my blood.

Walking out of Citizens Bank Park on Sunday after the
Phillies host the Mets in the final home game this season will make me
emotional, no doubt.

I’ll think back to all the times my parents had to give me
directions to seemingly every school and field in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
area so I could cover high school and college games while I was just a teenager
myself (keep in mind, that was years before Mapquest
or GPS’s).

I will say one more thank you ---there will never be enough
--- to my mom and dad for all the love and support they gave me while I worked
my way through Syracuse University, majored in newspaper and worked three jobs,
including at The Post Standard, the city’s daily paper. I couldn’t have made it
through without their encouragement and confidence --- which came with a hefty
phone bill for them.

I’ll have flashes in my head of Matt Michael, the former
Syracuse SkyChiefs beat writer who happens to be from the Lehigh Valley,
showing me when I was in college the best way to keep track of pitches. It’s
still the system I use today. It never lets me down me.

I’ll never forget climbing over the chain-link fence at
Hersheypark Stadium --- with a laptop --- because I was locked inside
after covering a state playoff game there.

I’ll always be grateful to former Morning Call sports editor
Terry Larimer, who hired me as a sports writer five months shy of my 25th
birthday. He once told me he didn’t think I’d be a professional beat writer. A
few years later after he retired, he shook my hand, told me I proved him wrong
and had some very kind words for the job I was doing.

Covering high school sports was my primary responsibility
for my first five years at TMC. There were far too many fun times during that
stretch for me to mention them all. Following
Wilson’s football team’s 16-0, PIAA championship season in 2006 when I watched D.J. Lenehan move into second place
on the state’s all-time passing list, and seeing Parkland’s girls basketball team
win the state title in 2005-06, are atop my list of highlights.

During my first year there, Terry also made me the Phillies
backup beat writer (2004), and it was something I did for the next five years
before taking over the beat after the 2008 season.

But before I took the beat over, I was at a crazy 16-inning
game against the Orioles in 2004 on fireworks night. I was there when Charlie
Manuel and Howard Eskin nearly came to blows in the clubhouse. And I was
standing next to one other backup writer who
exchanged some serious words with Brett
Myers that made me take a couple steps backward.

I was lucky enough to enjoy being at the ball park on Sept.
30, 2007, when the Phillies beat the Nationals and shocked the Mets
by coming back from being down seven games with 17 to play to win the N.L.
East. I learned after that game that a rain coat, to save your clothes from
beer and champagne, is a must. And I covered every 2008 home playoff game,
including the crazy rain-delayed, World
Series-clinching Game 5.

Then the real adventure
began.

The 2009 season started with me covering my first spring
training, where I felt overwhelmed and overjoyed. It concluded with me working
42 days in a row to cover the end of the regular season and all three rounds of
the playoffs, which took me to Denver, where we had a game snowed out, I almost
got arrested for loitering while trying to interview players in the lobby of
their hotel and we somehow stuffed seven writers in a car for the 30-minute
drive from downtown to the airport (let’s just say it was comical); Los
Angeles, where Martin Frank, an avid marathoner, slowed down for me while we
ran tons of hills to get to the Rose Bowl (yes, it’s huge); and New York, where
I laughed uncontrollably with other writers while eating at a diner at 2 a.m.

The 2010 and 2011 postseasons had me in Cincinnati, San
Francisco and St. Louis. Amidst all the work, we somehow squeezed in moonlight
bowling in Cincy and had some amazing dim sum in San Francisco and later ate
far too much Ghiradelli chocolate they gave us in the press box (at least they
were small pieces).

While the Phillies
played at home in 2010, we witnessed Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the NLDS.
Three years later, I sometimes still can’t believe I got to see that.

The following year, I managed to get in a run in St. Louis
that had me standing in front of the Arch.

The Phillies didn’t make the playoffs in 2012 and they won’t
this year, but for the fifth year in a row, I got to have my dad at spring
training for a while with me. We had breakfast and dinner together every day
for five days. I loved seeing the smile on his face as we talked baseball. It’s
a small payback for all the times he made plans to take me to ball games as a
kid.

The press box, whether in Clearwater or Philadelphia, became
somewhat of a sacred place for me. It’s where we had no-hitter pools, teased
each other for reasons I can’t even always understand but somehow make me
laugh, and it’s where we debate our thoughts on baseball, steroid use, Showtime’s
Homeland, Hall of Fame votes, MVP and Cy Young candidate, Tweets that make us
laugh and the occasional talk of attractive women slips in (as Todd Zolecki
says, “Earmuffs, Mandy. Earmuffs.”).

Yes. I love baseball and I’ve loved this job. I will miss
doing research and the challenge of taking a big chunk of information and a
whole bunch of interviews and turning it into a story on deadline.

I will miss having a great seat for baseball games. I will
miss the way Ryan Howard can joke with anyone who walks through the clubhouse
doors. I will miss the media batting challenge during spring training.

Those who work in the organization, especially this spring
training, showed just how caring they are, namely Bonnie Clark, who, without
even being asked, took my hand and guided me through a difficult few days I was
going through.

On Wednesday, the team called everyone to the back of the
press box. I assumed it was for KWY reporter Tom Maloney, who was retiring. The
cake, though, had both our names on it. I fought back tears as I stood in front
of everyone and heard Bonnie’s kind words. And when Phillies president David
Montgomery came to my seat in the press box to shake my hand, thank me for my
dedication and to wish me luck, I was so touched. And in turn, I want say thank you to the entire PR staff, past and present, including Greg Casterioto, Craig Hughner, Deanna Sabec and Kevin Gregg.

Especially during my first five years at TMC, I got the
chance to spend a lot of time at 101 North Sixth Street, which meant I got to be around some great people from the
sports department, including Brad Krum, Keith Kaeppel, Roger Pence, Keith Groller, Ernie
Long, Jeff Schuler, Mark Wogenrich, Beth Hudson, Steve Miller, Andre Williams, Bill
Kline, Steph Sigafoos, Gary Blockus, Mike Miorelli, Mark Perner and Ben Reese.

There are others who I see every day at the ball park. No, I
don’t know last names, but I know they always have smiles on their faces:
Sharon, Brian, Patty, Frank and Jo Ann, who so happily cook for us, serve us
food every night and have been so friendly. Alex and Ed in the press box couldn’t
be easier to work with and they always had kind words for me after they heard
me on the radio.

This job gave me the chance to do some TV and radio which I
never would have otherwise done. I had no training in that field, but just
tried not to make a fool of myself. Thank you to Rhea Hughes, Michael Barkann, Matt
Leon, Angelo Cataldi, Ellen Kolodziej, Ken Selinger, Rachel Micali, Phil Allen
and Glen Macnow (to name a few) for your patience with me when I was on the
air.

But despite the touching stories I encountered as a high
school writer, all the cool moments I’ve had as a pro writer, I still come back
to one thing --- I met my husband, Tom, the love of my life, doing this job.
He’s edited more stories of mine than any editor I ever had. He’s given me more
advice on ledes, using too many quotes in stories and advised me on more story
angles than anyone. Bless his heart for listening to me often read my stories
out loud.

Tom is the best (unofficial) editor I’ve ever had. He’s
shown me patience when I’ve been frustrated with myself, encouraged when I’ve
been down, been awakened by me at 4 a.m. fearful of having made a mistake in a
story and has been my support system for more than 12 years.

Never could I have made it through this wild, crazy,
memorable journey without him.

My love. My rock.

Sports writing gave me our
love story.

Now it’s time for me to say good-bye to the sports writing part of
the love story, but I will never say good-bye to him or the memories of us
sharing our passion.

NOTE: I will be the associate director of university relations at East Stroudsburg University.

Kyle Kendrick took a deep breath when he got his MRI results
from team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti.

“He actually said for my age and arm it looks pretty good,”
Kendrick said.

The diagnosis, which forced him to miss Wednesday’s start
against the Marlins, was tendinitis in his rotator cuff. Kendrick said he has
some minor fraying there, too, but nothing that isn’t normal for all pitchers.

The right-hander said he’s had achiness and discomfort for
about five weeks. But he hopes he can start playing catch on Friday and is aiming
to make his last two starts, both of which are scheduled to come on the road.

“It was to the point where I wanted to get it checked out
because it wasn't going away,” he said. “It put my mind at ease.”

What’s transpired in the second half has been a little unsettling
for Kendrick. After posting a .368 ERA in 19 starts leading up to the All-Star
break, he is the owner of a 6.91 ERA in 11 games in the second half.

Keep in mind, Kendrick's 182 innings pitched are the most he's ever thrown in the big leagues, and it's the first time he's spent the entire year in the rotation since making 31 starts in 2010.

The timing of Kendrick’s rough patch isn’t ideal for him. He
is in the second year of a two-year, $7.5 million contract and is arbitration
eligible after this season. With Kendrick likely to get a raise in arbitration and
the Phillies having some young pitchers showing some promise, there’s a chance
the organization could non-tender Kendrick, which would make him a free agent.

If the Phillies take that road, they could still show interest in Kendrick
and try to sign him for less money. Kendrick, though, would also have the chance to sign
with another team.

All Kendrick can really do at this point is hope he feels
better and have solid starts his last two outings.

“It's obviously frustrating,” Kendrick said of
his second-half struggles. “You want to pitch well every time you're out there.
My second half is not what I've wanted, what the organization wanted, nor what
the fans wanted. But it's a game and the guys I'm facing are trying to do well
also. The main thing is my health right now, knowing where it's at. And that's
good. Hopefully I can get those two more starts and finish strong.”

Ryne Sandberg wouldn't say whether or not he thought Kendrick would actually get two more starts in before the season ends.

"I haven’t had a total conversation with what we’re
going to do going forward," Sandberg said. "He was told to play catch and toss, so that’s a
good thing for him. Leave it at that for right now."

During his seven years in the big leagues, Kyle Kendrick has
been healthy. He’s never even flirted with a disabled list stint.

Until now.

Kendrick, 29, had an MRI today for an issue with his shoulder. He has not yet met with the doctor or gotten
the results. Zach Miner will make a spot start in his place.

“KK wanted just to get checked out,” interim manager Ryne
Sandberg said. “It's very cautionary and conservative. He's felt something the
last few weeks. He just wanted to get a peace of mind about it. He was still
able to pitch and could still pitch now.”

After having a
stellar second half in 2012 and an excellent first half this season, Kendrick
has stumbled in the second half this year, a stretch during which he posted a
6.91 ERA in 11 games started versus the 3.68 ERA in 19 starts before the All-Star
break.

Kendrick would have been scheduled to have three more starts
this year. If he returns, he’d now have three left. But Sandberg didn’t rule a
Kendrick possibly being shutdown.

With all the relievers the Phillies have available, it won't be too much strain on the bullpen tomorrow. Plus, Thursday is an off-day.

BBWAA AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The Philadelphia Chapter of the BBWAA (Baseball Writers
Association of America) announced its award winners.

Dom Brown won the Mike Schmidt Most Valuable Player Award;
Cliff Lee was named the Steve Carlton; Charlie Manuel was honored with the
Dallas Green Special Achievement Award while Kevin Frandsen got the Tug McGraw
Award for True Professionalism.

Brown received 78 percent of votes for the Schmidt Award. He
was an NL All-Star in his first full season as a regular, and leads the
Phillies in homers (27) and RBIs (81) despite missing 22 games in the second
half. Chase Utley finished second in voting.

Lee was nearly a unanimous choice to win his second
Carlton Award. He received 92 percent of the votes. Lee leads the Phillies in
wins (14), ERA among starters (2.95) and strikeouts (201).

Manuel received 83 percent of votes for the Special
Achievement Award, which he earned for becoming the 58th manager in
MLB history to win 1,000 games. Manuel previously won the Green Award in 2011
for surpassing Gene Mauch for most wins as manager in franchise history.

Frandsen edged former Phillie Michael Young for the True Pro
Award given to the player who best exemplifies McGraw’s good-natured
personality and for his professional cooperation with beat writers. Three other
players and Manuel also received votes.

The awards were instituted by the BBWAA Philadelphia chapter
in 2004. They will be presented on the field before Saturday’s game.

Gonzalez, who is from Panama like Carlos Ruiz, said the Phillies
catcher has been like a father to him ever since they first met in spring
training this year.

Franco, primarily a third baseman, started playing some
first base at the end of the season for Double-A Reading. It will be very interesting to see how things
play out with him as time progresses. Cody Asche has shown flashes of having a
great glove at third base and has impressed many with his bat. Yet Franco has
shown power --- he hit a combined 31 homers between Single-A Clearwater and Double-A
Reading --- from the right side, something the Phillies have been desperate
for.

These days, the most prepared players turn to video with the
hope of gaining every advantage they can it comes to facing opposing pitchers.
Chase Utley is the king of that in the Phillies clubhouse.

Back when Ryne Sandberg played, it took a lot more energy to
keep tabs on a starting pitcher. And Sandberg did it without the help of video.

The Hall of Famer kept a small notebook in the dugout with
him and during games he made notations about the pitcher he just faced.

“As I’d face somebody new, I wrote
down what he had first of all,” Sandberg said. “What his velocity was, his
action on the fastball. I think that’s the first thing that hitters look at, is
what’s the velocity of the fastball and what’s the action on the balls. Is it
cutting away? Is it tailing in? Is it both? Because that’s just a reaction and
less time to see and think about it. That’s the first thing, and then what his
breaking pitches are and what his out pitch is for a strikeout.”

Much of what Utley has down
throughout his career mimics what Sandberg did during his playing days. It’s
something Sandberg likes and encourages, and he’s seen it rub off of some other
hitters.

“I’ve seen more guys in there doing that,” Sandberg said. “With
his information, you also see him sharing some of that with the younger players
during the game. Any time there’s a pitching change, I’ll see a bunch of guys
who gravitate toward Chase to see what the guy throws and to see what approach
they need. That’s very good in-game stuff that is utilized by the younger
players and veteran players are very happy about sharing that and talking about
that. I’ve seen better swings and results from that situation.”

Including from Utley, who is hitting .316 (18-for-57) in his
last 16 games. During that stretch, he has hit four doubles, one triple, has
eight RBIs and has scored seven times.

Sandberg is most encouraged by the way Utley is spraying the
ball all over the field with regularity.

“He’s gotten a few more hits to
left-center field,” Sandberg said. “He’s gotten some hits on the left field
line. I think that’s key for him with those pitches, to take them the other
way. It also prevents the defense from playing a complete pull shift. I’ve seen
the batting average go up in the last three weeks. A lot of it is because of
that.”

Utley was hitting .268 after going
0-for-4 on Aug. 27. Since then, he’s raised his batting average six points and
is hitting .274 on the season.

LOOKING AHEAD

Whether Sandberg has the “interim” tag taken off his
title next year and is given the chance to managed this team for time in 2014,
he’s expecting he’ll have to provide the organization with his own evaluations
of the players he saw this season, especially while he was in charge.

He’s already has some ideas of how some of those evaluations
might look.

“In some ways maybe there are less question marks than a
month and a half, two months ago with some positions on the team,” he said. “Maybe
primarily in the bullpen and that’s all good. Some guys have come a long way.
Maybe some guys have earned some jobs next year going into spring training.
That’s all good. It really gives the organization a better feel and what they
really need to concentrate on as far as the front office as far as the
necessary pieces that either aren’t here or that they need to go and get.”

You've got to figure one of those bullpen guys high on Sandberg's list is B.J. Rosenberg. He's the owner of a 12 1/3 scoreless innings streak that spans 14 games, a stretch during which he's held opponents to a .103 (4-for-39) batting average against. Of the 29 outs he's recorded in his last 9 2/3 innings (since Aug. 22), 11 have come via strikeout.

"Oh,
yeah. I’m well aware of that," Sandberg added.

Sandberg also complimented some of the things he saw from Ben Revere after April and expected a healthy Ryan Howard next year could hit 30 home runs.

For as inconsistent as Roy Halladay was Thursday, there was nothing inconsistent about Phillies hitters or relievers.

For the fourth time this season and the first time since
Aug. 8, they put double-digit runs on the board. Their first inning featured five
straight hits, a first since Sept. 20, 2012,
against the Mets (no one in the majors has done it since the Royals in
April). They finished the first inning with six runs on six hits, including two
doubles and two walks. Cesar Hernandez was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and
a run scored just in the first inning.

By the time the third inning rolled around, every starter,
including Halladay, had reached base via a walk or a hit. Jimmy Rollins,
despite being sick, was 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and a stolen
base, which gave him 20 stolen bases, something he’s done for three consecutive
seasons and 12 of his last 13. His error in the ninth inning was his first 45
games.

Carlos Ruiz continued his offensive tear. After going 3-for-3 with two walks, three
RBIs and a run scored in Thursday, the catcher is hitting .389 (28-for-72) with
eight doubles, three home runs, 16 RBIs and seven walks in his last 20 games.

DINGERS: Prior to
Thursday, Halladay, who did not pitch enough innings to get the decision, had
not reached base yet this season. … Justin De Fratus retired both batters he
faced in the fifth and got the win. … For the fourth time this season and the
first time since Aug. 8, they put double-digit runs on the board. Their first
inning featured six runs on six hits, including two doubles and two walks. …
The bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed no runs and no hits. De Fratus,
Cesar Jimenez, Ethan Martin, B.J. Rosenberg and Jake Diekman retired 14 of the
15 batters they faced.

“I don’t want to look like I gave
up on anybody,” said Brown, sidelined for the better part of the last three
weeks. “I know guys don’t look at me that way, but that’s how I look at it. If I’m
able to play, then I’m going to play. If I’m hurting, then I’m hurting. But if
I feel like I can play, I want to play.”

The left fielder has been nursing
tendinitis and bursitis in his right Achilles. Although he’s been shagging fly
balls, Thursday marked the first time since Aug. 30 that he took live batting
practice on the field. He took two rounds and plans to have a full day Friday
with the team in D.C.

Despite all the time Brown has missed --- he was out for 11
games (July 24 to Aug. 4) with a concussion and 14 more because of his Achilles
injuries --- he’s still among the National League home runs leaders. He heads
into Thursday’s game with 27. Pittsburgh’s Pedro Alvarez leads all NL players
with 32.

Brown knows that not only is hitting 30 within reach, but so
it ending the season as the league leader.

This
is where we all got to chuckle a bit. Brown looked at me and said I was looking
at him oddly and then said, “Do You think I’m crazy?
I mean I know I’m crazy but you never know.”

I responded by saying, “True. You could hit five in six
days.”

“I’ve done it before,” he said.

Brown said there’s no target date just yet for his return.

Ryne Sandberg knows there’s an importance for Brown and the
team if he comes back. But he’s not going to just throw him out there. He said
he’s likely to use him in a pinch hitting situation once or twice first.

ROLLINS' MOVE MAY BE PERMANENT

There’s a chance that one of the aspects of Jimmy Rollins’
game that defined him could be no more.

His home in the two-hole may be permanent next year.

And few people know better about what it takes to be a successful
two-hole hitter than Sandberg.

“If you look at it as a positive, it’s not a position that
you sacrifice yourself,” Sandberg said. “But it’s a position that you take
advantage of the situations and a lot of it is sometimes game situations. It
gives you an approach and a plan for your at-bat, which I liked. I think that’s
something that will go a long way with Jimmy, him going up there with a plan
and a job to do for himself and for the team. I think that goes a long way with
production and with taking what the other team gives you with those situations.”

Sandberg is well aware of the change it entails for Rollins,
who has 6,770 plate appearances from the leadoff spot where he has a lifetime
.272 batting average and 1,068 plate appearances out of the two-hole, from
which he has a .253 careering batting average.

“He likes to hit the fastball,” Sandberg said. “You have a
guy [in front of him] that’s getting on base a lot and now he’s a base stealer
and the pitcher has to throw some fastballs. Being a left-handed hitter against
right-handed pitching, the hole is open for him to use. If a guy steals a base,
then the ability to move the guy over with his stroke comes into play. I batted
second my whole career and I was an RBI guy and runs scored and stolen bases
and all that.”